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The private commitment should not compete with the “official” offers of schools and associations.
There are far too few trained computer scientists in Switzerland. Tens of thousands of jobs in the IT industry are unfilled. The entrepreneur Roland Brack is now doing something specifically to combat the shortage of skilled workers in the industry.
The “ICT Village” is being built in Mägenwil in the Canton of Aargau, in the vicinity of the headquarters of the online retailer Brack. Cost: CHF 10 million, financed by Roland Bracks Competec Holding. Brack himself is also looking intensively for employees – his companies currently employ around 1,200 people in Germany and abroad.
Legend:
An ICT training center for 200 apprentices is to be built in Mägenwil. The visualization shows the planned building in the commercial area.
ZVG/Weibel Schrader Architects/Competec Holding
At least part of it should come from the new training center in Mägenwil in the future. Roland Brack says: “We have long been a major trainer in Aargau, especially for media and IT specialists. We are now intensifying these efforts because the problem is getting worse.”
Private commitment is not competition
According to the national industry association, there is actually a threat of a massive shortage of skilled workers in the IT industry by 2030. According to the forecast, up to 40,000 additional specialists would be needed.
Something is wrong in the educational landscape, says Roland Brack. For many companies, the training of young people is too time-consuming. This was the result of an analysis carried out together with the canton of Aargau and the cantonal ICT association. Eight apprenticeships per 100 employees would be necessary – the average rate is currently just under six apprenticeships.
“We didn’t sleep,” replies Carlo Pirola, President of the ICT Aargau Association. “It was just difficult to convince companies to continue training.” However, the cooperation with Roland Brack has meant that 25 percent more apprenticeship positions have been created in Aargau in the last three years.
“When we as an association talk to companies, we are in contact with those responsible for vocational training. When Roland Brack talks to the companies, he does so with the CEO. That’s a completely different level,” explains Carlo Pirola.
The association also helps companies with training. Apprentices in Aargau can complete a kind of “basic training” at the beginning of their apprenticeship before they start as an apprentice in a company.
Brack itself urgently needs professionals
Roland Brack’s private commitment is not altruistic. His companies need a lot of computer professionals. “We develop our web shop technologies ourselves. We can hardly find the necessary specialists in Switzerland anymore. The training is therefore a key investment in the future.”
Around 200 training positions are to be created in the new building in Mägenwil. Brack also wants to rent these rooms to other educational institutions. The Aargau ICT Association, which offers individual courses for prospective specialists here, will be an important tenant. The campus is scheduled to open in two to three years, but the building permit from the municipality is still pending.